Method and systems for exhaust gas control

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for controlling exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). In one example, an engine system includes a first EGR valve coupling an exhaust manifold to an engine exhaust system, a second EGR valve coupling the exhaust manifold to an engine intake system, and a control unit. The control unit selectively adjusts a position of the first EGR valve based on a target amount, and adjusts a position of the second EGR valve based on the target amount and a position of the first EGR valve. Responsive to a first degradation condition of the first EGR valve, the control unit adjusts the position of the second EGR valve based on the target amount and based on a pressure of the first exhaust manifold, and responsive to a second degradation condition of the first EGR valve, adjusts the position of the second EGR valve based on the target amount.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S.Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 13/039,957, entitled “METHOD ANDSYSTEMS FOR AN ENGINE”, and filed on Mar. 3, 2011, the entire contentsof which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein relate to engines,engine systems, and methods for operating engine systems, for example.

Discussion of Art

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) lowers peak combustion temperatures andhence lowers NOx production, and thus engine systems may be configuredto tightly control EGR in order to maintain emissions under designatedlimits. One or more exhaust gas flow control valves in the exhaust of anengine system may be adjusted in order to control the amount of EGRdirected to the engine. If one or more of the exhaust gas flow controlvalves becomes degraded, engine operating limits may be exceeded,leading to possible engine degradation. As such, the engine may be shutdown in response to an indication of degradation of the one or moreexhaust gas flow control valves. However, an unanticipated engineshutdown may be burdensome and/or pose a risk of collisions with othervehicles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, an engine system includes an engine including a firstsubset of cylinders and a second subset of cylinders, the first subsetof cylinders coupled to a first exhaust manifold and the second subsetof cylinder coupled to a second exhaust manifold, an EGR systemincluding a first EGR valve coupling the first exhaust manifold to anexhaust system of the engine and a second EGR valve coupling the firstexhaust manifold to an intake system of the engine, and a control unit.The control unit is configured to selectively adjust a position of thefirst EGR valve based on a target amount, and adjust a position of thesecond EGR valve based on the target amount and a position of the firstEGR valve, responsive to a first degradation condition of the first EGRvalve, adjust the position of the second EGR valve based on the targetamount and based on a pressure of the first exhaust manifold,independent of the position of the first EGR valve, and responsive to asecond degradation condition of the first EGR valve, adjust the positionof the second EGR valve based on the target amount, independent of thepressure of the first exhaust manifold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a rail vehicle with an engineaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling exhaust gasrecirculation according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling exhaustvalve position during non-degradation conditions according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a control diagram for adjusting exhaust valve positionaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling exhaustvalve position during degradation conditions according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7 and 8 are control diagrams for adjusting exhaust valvepositions according to embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description relates to an engine system that may beincluded in a vehicle, such as the engine system of FIG. 1. The enginesystem includes two exhaust valves controlling flow of exhaust gasexiting an engine, and a control unit configured to detect degradationof one or both of the valves and adjust control of the non-degradedvalve(s) in response to the detecting of degradation. The exhaust valvesmay include a first valve controlling flow of exhaust back to theexhaust of the engine, a second exhaust valve controlling flow ofexhaust back to the intake of the engine, and/or a third exhaust valvecontrolling flow of exhaust gas around a turbine, for example. Exampleroutines for detecting exhaust valve degradation and adjusting controlof the exhaust valves are illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5. Controldiagrams that may be executed during the routines to control the exhaustvalves are illustrated in FIGS. 4, 6A, 6B, 7, and 8.

The approach described herein may be employed in a variety of enginetypes, and a variety of engine-driven systems. Some of these systems maybe stationary, while others may be on semi-mobile or mobile platforms.Semi-mobile platforms may be relocated between operational periods, suchas mounted on flatbed trailers. Mobile platforms include self-propelledvehicles. Such vehicles can include on-road transportation vehicles, aswell as mining equipment, marine vessels, rail vehicles, and otheroff-highway vehicles (OHV). For clarity of illustration, a locomotive isprovided as an example of a mobile platform supporting a systemincorporating an embodiment of the invention.

Before further discussion of the approach for controlling one or moreexhaust valves, an example of a platform is disclosed in which theengine system may be installed in a vehicle, such as a rail vehicle. Forexample, FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehiclesystem 100 (e.g., a locomotive system), herein depicted as a railvehicle 106, configured to run on a rail 102 via a plurality of wheels110. As depicted, the rail vehicle includes an engine 104. In othernon-limiting embodiments, the engine may be a stationary engine, such asin a power-plant application, or an engine in a marine vessel oroff-highway vehicle propulsion system as noted above. In one embodimentherein, the engine is a multi-fuel engine operating with diesel fuel andnatural gas, but in other examples the engine may use variouscombinations of fuels other than diesel and natural gas.

The engine receives intake air for combustion from an intake, such as anintake manifold 115. The intake may be any suitable conduit or conduitsthrough which gases flow to enter the engine. For example, the intakemay include the intake manifold, an intake passage 114, and the like.The intake passage receives ambient air from an air filter (not shown)that filters air from outside of a vehicle in which the engine may bepositioned. Exhaust gas resulting from combustion in the engine issupplied to an exhaust, such as exhaust passage 116. The exhaust may beany suitable conduit through which gases flow from the engine. Forexample, the exhaust may include an exhaust manifold 117, the exhaustpassage, and the like. Exhaust gas flows through the exhaust passage,and out of an exhaust stack of the rail vehicle. In one example, theengine is a diesel engine that combusts air and diesel fuel throughcompression ignition. In other non-limiting embodiments, the engine maycombust fuel including gasoline, kerosene, biodiesel, natural gas,and/or other petroleum distillates of similar density throughcompression ignition (and/or spark ignition).

In one embodiment, the rail vehicle is a diesel-electric vehicle. Asdepicted in FIG. 1, the engine is coupled to an electric powergeneration system, which includes an alternator/generator 140 andelectric traction motors 112. For example, the engine is a diesel enginethat generates a torque output that is transmitted to thealternator/generator which is mechanically coupled to the engine. Thealternator/generator produces electrical power that may be stored andapplied for subsequent propagation to a variety of downstream electricalcomponents. As an example, the alternator/generator may be electricallycoupled to a plurality of traction motors and the alternator/generatormay provide electrical power to the plurality of traction motors. Asdepicted, the plurality of traction motors are each connected to one ofa plurality of wheels to provide tractive power to propel the railvehicle. One example configuration includes one traction motor perwheel. As depicted herein, six pairs of traction motors correspond toeach of six pairs of wheels of the rail vehicle. In another example,alternator/generator may be coupled to one or more resistive grids 142.The resistive grids may be configured to dissipate excess engine torquevia heat produced by the grids from electricity generated byalternator/generator.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the engine is a V-12 engine havingtwelve cylinders. In other examples, the engine may be a V-6, V-8, V-10,V-16, I-4, I-6, I-8, opposed 4, or another engine type. As depicted, theengine may include a subset of non-donor cylinders 105, which includessix cylinders that supply exhaust gas exclusively to a non-donorcylinder exhaust manifold 117, and a subset of donor cylinders 107,which includes six cylinders that supply exhaust gas exclusively to adonor cylinder exhaust manifold 119. In other embodiments, the enginemay include at least one donor cylinder and at least one non-donorcylinder. For example, the engine may have four donor cylinders andeight non-donor cylinders, or three donor cylinders and nine non-donorcylinders. It should be understood, the engine may have any desirednumbers of donor cylinders and non-donor cylinders, with the number ofdonor cylinders typically lower than the number of non-donor cylinders.In yet another embodiment, the engine may not include any donorcylinders and instead include only non-donor cylinders, or the enginemay include only donor cylinders and not any non-donor cylinders. Inanother embodiment, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) may be provided froma bank of cylinders supplying a manifold with exhaust and then thisexhaust may be supplied to an air intake.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the non-donor cylinders are coupled to theexhaust passage to route exhaust gas from the engine to atmosphere(after it passes through an optional exhaust gas treatment system 130and first and second turbochargers 120 and 124). The donor cylinders,which provide engine exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), are coupledexclusively to an EGR passage 165 of an EGR system 160 which routesexhaust gas from the donor cylinders to the intake passage of theengine. By introducing cooled exhaust gas to the engine, the amount ofavailable oxygen for combustion is decreased, thereby reducingcombustion flame temperatures and reducing the formation of nitrogenoxides (e.g., NO_(x)).

Exhaust gas flowing from the donor cylinders to the intake passagepasses through a heat exchanger such as an EGR cooler 166 to reduce atemperature of (e.g., cool) the exhaust gas before the exhaust gasreturns to the intake passage. The EGR cooler may be an air-to-liquidheat exchanger, for example. In such an example, one or more charge aircoolers 132 and 134 disposed in the intake passage (e.g., upstream ofwhere the recirculated exhaust gas enters) may be adjusted to furtherincrease cooling of the charge air such that a mixture temperature ofcharge air and exhaust gas is maintained at a desired temperature. Inother examples, the EGR system may include an EGR cooler bypass.Alternatively, the EGR system may include an EGR cooler control element.The EGR cooler control element may be actuated such that the flow ofexhaust gas through the EGR cooler is reduced; however, in such aconfiguration, exhaust gas that does not flow through the EGR cooler isdirected to the exhaust passage rather than the intake passage.

Additionally, the EGR system includes an EGR bypass passage 161 that isconfigured to divert exhaust from the donor cylinders back to theexhaust passage. The EGR bypass passage may be controlled via a firstEGR valve 163. The first valve may be configured with a plurality ofrestriction points such that a variable amount of exhaust is routed tothe exhaust, in order to provide a variable amount of EGR to the intake.As explained above, the donor cylinders are coupled to an EGR passage165 that is configured to route exhaust to the intake via a second EGRvalve 170. For example, when the second EGR valve 170 is open, exhaustmay be routed from the donor cylinders to the EGR cooler and/oradditional elements prior to being routed to the intake passage. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first EGR valve and the second EGR valvemay each be engine oil, or hydraulically, actuated valves, for example,with a shuttle valve (not shown) to modulate the engine oil. In otherexamples, the first and second EGR valves may be pneumatic valves,electric valves, or another suitable valve.

Thus, the first EGR valve 163 is operable to route exhaust from thedonor cylinders to the exhaust passage of the engine and the second EGRvalve 170 is operable to route exhaust from the donor cylinders to theintake passage of the engine. As such, the first EGR valve may bereferred to as an EGR bypass valve, while the second EGR valve may bereferred to as an EGR metering valve. In some examples, the valves maybe actuated such that one of the first and second EGR valves is normallyopen and the other is normally closed. Additionally, the first andsecond EGR valves may be controlled in tandem, such that if the firstEGR valve is adjusted to restrict the corresponding bypass passage 161by a given amount (e.g., 25%), the second EGR valve is adjusted torestrict the EGR passage 165 by a corresponding amount (e.g., 75%) tomaintain an overall constant level of restriction between the twopassages.

In one embodiment, when the first EGR valve is fully open and the secondEGR valve is fully closed, all the exhaust produced during combustion inthe donor cylinders is directed to the exhaust and eventually toatmosphere, and not directed to the intake. When the first EGR valve isfully closed and the second EGR valve is fully open, all exhaustproduced during combustion in the donor cylinders is directed to theintake, and not to the exhaust. All exhaust produced by the non-donorcylinders is directed to the exhaust, regardless of a position of thefirst EGR valve and second EGR valve.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system further includes an EGR mixer 172which mixes the recirculated exhaust gas with charge air such that theexhaust gas may be evenly distributed within the charge air and exhaustgas mixture. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the EGR system is ahigh-pressure EGR system which routes exhaust gas from a locationupstream of the turbochargers in the exhaust passage to a locationdownstream of the turbochargers in the intake passage. In otherembodiments, the vehicle system may additionally or alternativelyinclude a low-pressure EGR system which routes exhaust gas fromdownstream of the turbochargers in the exhaust passage to a locationupstream of the turbochargers in the intake passage.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the vehicle system may further include amulti-stage turbocharger with the first turbocharger 120 and the secondturbocharger 124 arranged in series, each of the turbochargers arrangedbetween the intake passage and the exhaust passage. The multi-stageturbocharger increases air charge of ambient air drawn into the intakepassage in order to provide greater charge density during combustion toincrease power output and/or engine-operating efficiency. The firstturbocharger operates at a relatively lower pressure, and includes afirst turbine 121 which drives a first compressor 122. The first turbineand the first compressor are mechanically coupled via a first shaft 123.The first turbocharger may be referred to the “low-pressure stage” ofthe turbocharger. The second turbocharger operates at a relativelyhigher pressure, and includes a second turbine 125 which drives a secondcompressor 126. The second turbocharger may be referred to the“high-pressure stage” of the turbocharger. The second turbine and thesecond compressor are mechanically coupled via a second shaft 127.

As explained above, the terms “high pressure” and “low pressure” arerelative, meaning that “high” pressure is a pressure higher than a “low”pressure. Conversely, a “low” pressure is a pressure lower than a “high”pressure.

As used herein, “multi-stage turbocharger” may generally refer to amulti-stage turbocharger configuration that includes two or moreturbochargers. For example, a multi-stage turbocharger may include ahigh-pressure turbocharger and a low-pressure turbocharger arranged inseries, three turbocharger arranged in series, two low pressureturbochargers feeding a high pressure turbocharger, one low pressureturbocharger feeding two high pressure turbochargers, etc. In oneexample, three turbochargers are used in series. In another example,only two turbochargers are used in series.

In alternate embodiments, the engine system may only include a singlestage turbocharger with only a single turbine and single compressor.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the second turbocharger is providedwith a turbine bypass valve (TBV) 128 which allows exhaust gas to bypassthe second turbocharger. The turbine bypass valve may be opened, forexample, to divert the exhaust gas flow away from and around the secondturbine. In this manner, the rotating speed of the second compressor,and thus the boost provided by the turbochargers to the engine may beregulated. For example, by increasing the opening of the TBV, the speedof the turbine and thus the compressor mechanically coupled with theturbine may decrease, thereby decreasing boost provided to the engine.Decreasing boost may decrease an intake manifold pressure (MAP) of theengine. The TBV may be actuated hydraulically via engine oil, forexample, or may be actuated via a pneumatic actuator, electric actuator,or other suitable actuator.

Additionally, the first turbocharger may also be provided with a turbinebypass valve. In other embodiments, only the first turbocharger may beprovided with a turbine bypass valve, or only the second turbochargermay be provided with a turbine bypass valve. Additionally, the secondturbocharger may be provided with a compressor bypass valve 129, whichallows gas to bypass the second compressor 126 to avoid compressorsurge, for example. In some embodiments, the first turbocharger may alsobe provided with a compressor bypass valve, while in other embodiments,only first turbocharger may be provided with a compressor bypass valve.

The vehicle system further includes the exhaust treatment system coupledin the exhaust passage in order to reduce regulated emissions. Asdepicted in FIG. 1, the exhaust gas treatment system is disposeddownstream of the first turbine of the first (low pressure)turbocharger. In other embodiments, an exhaust gas treatment system maybe additionally or alternatively disposed upstream of the firstturbocharger. The exhaust gas treatment system may include one or morecomponents. For example, the exhaust gas treatment system may includeone or more of a diesel particulate filter (DPF), a diesel oxidationcatalyst (DOC), a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst, athree-way catalyst, a NO_(x) trap, and/or various other emission controldevices or combinations thereof. In alternate embodiments, the vehiclesystem may not include the exhaust aftertreatment system.

The exhaust passage may further include an exhaust gas sensor 190. Theexhaust gas sensor measures an exhaust emission value (e.g., level) ofthe exhaust gas. For example, the exhaust gas sensor may measure acontent of the exhaust gas. In one example, the exhaust emission valuemay be an amount of oxygen and/or NOx in the exhaust gas. As such, theexhaust gas sensor may measure both an oxygen and NOx level of theexhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage. In another example, theexhaust passage may include two exhaust gas sensors, a first sensormeasuring exhaust oxygen content and a second sensor measuring exhaustNOx content. The exhaust gas sensor is shown positioned downstream fromthe turbochargers and upstream of the exhaust gas treatment system.However, in alternate embodiments the exhaust gas sensor may bepositioned in alternate locations in the exhaust passage, such asupstream of the turbochargers or between the two turbocharger stages.The exhaust gas sensor may alternatively be positioned in orificedside-sample lines that bypass the one or more turbines. In one example,the exhaust gas sensor may be a universal exhaust gas oxygen sensor(UEGO) or another appropriate exhaust constituent sensor.

The vehicle system further includes the control unit 180, which isprovided and configured to control various components related to thevehicle system. In one example, the control unit includes a computercontrol system (e.g., referred to herein as a controller). The controlunit further includes non-transitory, computer readable storage media(not shown) including code for enabling on-board monitoring and controlof engine operation. The control unit, while overseeing control andmanagement of the vehicle system, may be configured to receive signalsfrom a variety of engine sensors, as further elaborated herein, in orderto determine operating parameters and operating conditions, andcorrespondingly adjust various engine actuators to control operation ofthe vehicle system. For example, the control unit may receive signalsfrom various engine sensors including sensor 181 arranged in the inletof the high-pressure turbine, sensor 182 arranged in the inlet of thelow-pressure turbine, sensor 183 arranged in the inlet of thelow-pressure compressor, sensor 184 arranged in the inlet of thehigh-pressure compressor, and the exhaust gas sensor. The sensorsarranged in the inlets of the turbochargers may detect air temperatureand/or pressure. In one example, a pressure difference across the TBV(and high pressure turbine) may be determined based on a differencebetween turbine inlet pressure (measured by sensor 181) and turbineoutlet pressure (measured by sensor 182).

The second turbocharger may also include a speed sensor 191 formeasuring turbine speed (e.g., high pressure turbine speed) of thesecond turbocharger and the first turbocharger may also include a speedsensor 193 for measuring turbine speed of the first turbocharger. Insome embodiments, the engine may include a sensor for measuring peakcylinder pressure. Additional sensors may include, but are not limitedto, engine speed, engine load, boost pressure, ambient pressure, exhausttemperature, exhaust pressure, etc. For example, a first pressure sensor195 may measure a pressure of the non-donor exhaust manifold 117 while asecond pressure sensor 196 may measure a pressure of the donor exhaustmanifold 119. Correspondingly, the control unit may control the vehiclesystem by sending commands to various components such as tractionmotors, alternator, cylinder valves, throttle, heat exchangers,wastegates, EGR valves, or other valves or flow control elements, etc.For example, the controller may send commands to an actuator of a fuelinjector or exhaust valve of an individual cylinder, thereby adjustingoperation of the individual cylinder based on the received command.

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart illustrating a method 200 for controllingexhaust gas recirculation (EGR) in an engine system. Method 200 and allother methods described herein may be carried out by an electroniccontroller, such as control unit 180 of FIG. 1, according tonon-transitory instructions stored in memory of the controller. Method200 may diagnose and adjust exhaust valve position, such as EGR valves163 and 170 and/or turbine bypass valve 128 of FIG. 1, based on varioussensed or estimated parameters.

At 202, method 200 includes estimating and/or measuring engine operatingconditions, which may include engine status (e.g., on or off), engineload, engine speed, transient vs. steady-state conditions, exhaust NOxconcentration, and/or other suitable parameters. At 204, method 200determines if exhaust valve diagnostic conditions are met. The exhaustvalves, such as the first EGR valve controlling flow of exhaust from thedonor cylinders to the exhaust, and the second EGR valve controllingflow of exhaust from the donor cylinders to the intake, may be monitoredto determine if one or both of the valves is degraded. The conditionsfor diagnosing the exhaust valves may include an engine off period, suchas a period immediately following an engine shutdown. In otherembodiments, the conditions for diagnosing the exhaust valves mayinclude engine operation at a given load, such as at idle. Theconditions may further include a predetermined amount of time havingelapsed since a prior diagnosis was performed. The above-describedconditions for performing the exhaust valve diagnoses are exemplary, andother conditions are possible.

If it is determined at 204 that the conditions for diagnosing theexhaust valves are not met, method 200 proceeds to 206 to adjust theexhaust valve positions according to a standard control routine, whichwill be described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 3. Briefly,the standard control routine adjusts the positions of the first EGRvalve and second EGR valve based on an EGR flow amount or intake airfraction in order to provide a desired amount of EGR to the intake tocontrol emissions and deliver requested engine power. During thestandard control routine, both of the first EGR valve and second EGRvalve are adjusted in tandem to control EGR. Method 200 then returns.

If the exhaust valve diagnostic conditions are met at 204, method 200proceeds to 208 to diagnose the exhaust valves. Diagnosing of theexhaust valves may include, for each exhaust valve, commanding thatexhaust valve to one or more predetermined positions (e.g., fully open,partially open, and fully closed) and monitoring an operating parameter(e.g., valve position from a position sensor, exhaust pressure, EGRflow, etc.) indicative of the valve position to determine if the exhaustvalve actually moved to the commanded position. The diagnosis for eachexhaust valve may be performed individually or at the same time.Further, while in some embodiments the exhaust valve diagnosis mayinclude diagnosis of the first EGR valve and second EGR valve, in someexamples the TBV or other exhaust gas flow control valves may also bediagnosed.

At 210, method 200 includes determining if at least one exhaust valve isdegraded. A degraded exhaust valve may be indicated when an exhaustvalve does not move to each commanded position during the diagnosis. Adegraded exhaust valve may result in the valve having a slower responserate, being leaky, not fully opening or closing, not being able to movebeyond a given position, and/or being stuck in one position. A degradedvalve may result from soot building up on the valve and blocking itsmovement, inability to send or receive signals properly (e.g., currentbeing applied to the actuator not being received, or position sensoroutput not being received by the control unit), loss of actuationability (e.g., loss of oil pressure to move the valve), or otherparameter. While the compensatory control routines that are enactedherein in response to degradation (e.g., described below with respect toFIGS. 5-8) are responsive to a valve that is stuck in one position (orunable to move beyond a certain position, such as a valve that can befully closed but cannot open by more than 15%), it is to be understoodthat the below-described control routine may apply to other types ofvalve degradation as well.

If no exhaust valves are indicated as being degraded, method 200proceeds to 206 to adjust the valve position(s) according to thestandard control routine that will be described below with respect toFIG. 3. If at 210 at least one valve is indicated as being degraded,method 200 proceeds to 212 to maintain exhaust pressure, EGR, and/or anintake fraction at desired targets via control of the non-degradedexhaust valve(s) and/or via control of fuel amounts to the engine, whichwill be described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 5. Briefly,when at least one valve is degraded, an EGR amount or intake fraction(e.g., intake oxygen or fresh air fraction) is maintained by adjustinganother non-degraded valve, and exhaust manifold pressure may beincluded in the exhaust valve control scheme to prevent pressure limitsfrom being exceeded. Additionally, where adequate control of EGR viavalve position adjustment is not possible, differential fueling of thedonor cylinders may help maintain intake oxygen within a desired range,thus preventing smoking or other emissions. In doing so, engineoperation may be maintained, at least for a duration until service ofthe degraded exhaust valve may be obtained, thus avoiding an unnecessaryengine shutdown. Method 200 then returns.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method 300 for controlling theposition of one or more exhaust valves to provide desired EGR, during anon-degradation operating mode of the engine. The non-degradationoperating mode may include virtually any engine operating conditionswhere degradation of the exhaust valves is not indicated. However, insome embodiments, the exhaust valve control of method 300 may beperformed only during steady-state conditions wherein engine speedand/or load are changing by less than a threshold amount.

At 302, method 300 obtains an EGR flow reference (e.g., EGR mass flowrate, EGR percentage) or a suitable intake reference. In one example,the intake reference may be an intake oxygen fraction reference. Inanother example, the intake reference may be an intake fresh airfraction reference, or it may be an intake EGR fraction. While each ofthe above references may be used to control the exhaust valves in orderto deliver a desired amount of EGR to the intake, in some conditions oneor more of the references may provide more accurate EGR control than thereferences, and thus the selection of which reference to use to controlthe exhaust valve position may be based on engine operation mode (e.g.,steady-state vs. transient), engine or ambient temperature (e.g., EGRflow may be more difficult to estimate or measure during coldconditions), or system configuration.

The EGR reference or intake reference may be obtained from a look-uptable stored in memory of the control unit, for example, and may bebased on engine load (e.g., throttle position), engine speed, and/orother suitable parameters. In one embodiment, the EGR or intakereference may be additionally or alternatively based on one or more ofexhaust NOx level, engine temperature, and engine output (e.g.,horsepower).

At 304, the obtained reference is compared to a respective measuredparameter to determine an EGR or intake fraction error. For example, theEGR flow reference may be compared to a measured EGR mass flow. Inanother example, the intake oxygen fraction reference may be compared tothe intake oxygen fraction of the intake manifold as measured by anintake sensor.

At 306, a position of the first EGR valve is determined based on theerror. For example, the error may be used as input to a control law orother suitable feedback controller to determine a position of the firstEGR valve that will provide the EGR flow or intake fraction reference.At 308, a position of the second EGR valve is determined based on theposition of the first EGR valve. For example, as explained previouslywith respect to FIG. 1, the first EGR valve and second EGR valve may becontrolled in tandem so that, between the two flow passages controlledby the valves (e.g., the EGR passage to the intake and the bypasspassage to the exhaust), no net restriction is provided to the exhaustflow from the donor cylinder manifold. In other words, an amount thebypass passage is restricted by the first EGR valve (e.g., the passageis restricted by 50%) is compensated for by an amount the EGR passage isrestricted (e.g., the second EGR valve may be set to a position thatrestricts the EGR passage by 50%). In some embodiments, the position ofthe second EGR valve may be further based on the error determined at304.

At 310, a position of the TBV may be adjusted based on one or moreturbocharger parameters. The turbochargers parameters may include boostpressure, exhaust pressure upstream and/or downstream of thehigh-pressure turbine, turbine speed, or other suitable parameters. At312, the amount of fuel supplied to the donor cylinders and non-donorcylinders is adjusted based on engine load, exhaust air-fuel ratio,and/or other suitable parameters in order to deliver requested torque.In some examples, during the standard non-degradation operating mode ofthe engine, the donor cylinders may receive a different amount of fuelrelative to the non-donor cylinders due to differences in exhaustbackpressure between the two manifolds. However, in other examples, thedonor and non-donor cylinders may receive the same amount of fuel.Further, in some embodiments, the firing of the donor cylinders may bespaced such that the firing of the donor cylinders occurs with evenspacing. For example, one non-donor cylinder may be fired between everydonor cylinder firing, a donor cylinder firing may be followed by twonon-donor cylinder firings that are followed by another donor cylinderfiring, etc. In this manner, fluctuation of the fraction of exhaust gasin the intake air over the engine cycle may be reduced thereby reducingemissions, engine noise and vibration, for example. Method 300 thenreturns.

FIG. 4 is an example control diagram 400 showing position control of thefirst EGR valve and second EGR valve during execution of method 300, forexample. As described above, a reference value 402 is obtained from amap, for example. The reference may be an EGR flow reference, intakeoxygen or fresh air reference, or other suitable reference. Thedifference between the reference and a respective measured parameter(EGR flow or intake fraction) is determined at 404, and the differenceis entered into a control law block 406. The control law determines aposition of the first EGR valve 408, according to a suitable mechanism.For example, the control law may be a PID or other suitable controllerthat uses the error along with suitable gain and other parameters tooutput the desired position of the first EGR valve.

Additionally, the position of the first EGR valve determined by thecontrol law is fed into the coupling law block 410 in order to determinethe position of the second EGR valve 412. As explained above, theexhaust system includes two EGR valves controlled in tandem. The controllaw may output a single value based on the EGR flow or intake fractionerror, referred to as the pseudoarea, which may represent the percentageof the EGR passage that is to be open (e.g., unrestricted) to deliverthe EGR for reaching the desired fresh air fraction. However, becausethe flow through the EGR passage is controlled by two valves, thispseudoarea may be converted into respective effective areas for each EGRvalve according to a power law function. The power law function mayoutput an effective area value for the first EGR valve based on thepseudoarea, and then based the effective area of the first EGR valve,the coupling law may output an effective area of the second EGR valve.The effective area for each valve can then be converted to a valvepercentage, then to a degree of opening, and then to an amount ofcurrent to produce that degree of opening. Other mechanisms fordetermining the position the second EGR valve based on the position ofthe first EGR valve are possible.

The adjustment to the position of the first EGR valve and the second EGRvalve may affect one or more parameters of the engine 414, such as theEGR flow or intake fraction, which are measured and fed back to 404 inorder to determine the error described above.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method 500 for controlling exhaustvalve position, during a degradation operating mode of the engine. Thedegradation operating mode may include virtually any engine operatingconditions where degradation of one or both of the EGR valves isindicated. Method 500 may switch control of EGR flow from the two EGRvalves to the one, non-degraded valve, and may further adjust TBVposition and/or donor cylinder fueling to maintain engine operationwithin pressure and emission limits.

At 502, method 500 includes determining if the first EGR valve, coupledbetween the donor cylinder exhaust manifold and the exhaust system, isdegraded. If the first EGR valve is not degraded, it is determined thatthe second EGR valve, which couples the donor cylinder exhaust manifoldto the intake, is degraded, and thus method 500 proceeds to 504 toadjust the position of the first EGR valve based on an EGR or intakeamount (e.g., EGR flow amount, intake oxygen fraction, or fresh airfraction) in order to maintain EGR at a desired amount. In someinstances, depending on the position of the degraded second EGR valve,adjustment of only the first EGR valve to reach the target EGR amountmay result in the first EGR valve reaching saturation, where furthercontrol of the first EGR valve is no longer possible (e.g., the firstEGR valve is fully open), yet the target EGR still has not been reached.In such cases, the amount of fuel to the donor cylinders may becontrolled to maintain intake oxygen concentration at desired levels.

Accordingly, at 506, method 500 includes determining if the first EGRvalve is saturated (e.g., fully open or fully closed). If the first EGRvalve is not saturated, method 500 returns to continue to adjust theposition of the first EGR valve based on the EGR or intake amount. Ifthe position of the first EGR valve is saturated, method 500 proceeds to508 to differentially fuel the donor vs. non-donor cylinders. This mayinclude reducing the amount of fuel injected to the donor cylindersrelative to the non-donor cylinders, for example by skip firing thedonor cylinders or lowering fuel injection amounts to all the donorcylinders. The amount the fuel supplied to the donor cylinders isreduced may be based on the intake oxygen concentration. In this way,even if the target EGR amount or intake amount cannot be reached viacontrol of the EGR valves, the intake oxygen fraction may be maintainedabove a threshold (such as 0.185). If the intake oxygen fraction dropsbelow the threshold, emissions may increase and power may be comprised,and thus maintaining the oxygen fraction above the threshold may helpmaintain power and control emissions during valve degradationconditions. Method 500 then ends.

Returning to 502, if is determined that the first EGR valve is degraded,method 500 proceeds to 510 to determine if the second EGR valve is alsodegraded. While it is unlikely that both EGR valves may become degradedat the same time, in some circumstances both valves may experiencedegradation (e.g., the oil supply to both actuators may lose pressure,or another parameter that affects performance of both valves may becomecompromised). Thus, if both EGR valves are degraded, no control of EGRmay be provided via EGR valve control. Instead, as indicated at 512, thedonor cylinders may be differentially fueled relative to the non-donorcylinders, for example by reducing the amount of fuel supplied to thedonor cylinders based on the intake oxygen concentration, thusincreasing the oxygen fraction of the intake air. Method 500 thenreturns.

Returning to 510, if is determined that the second EGR valve is notdegraded, that is, if it is determined that only the first EGR valve isdegraded, method 500 proceeds to 514 to determine the current positionof the first EGR valve (e.g., the position at which the first EGR isstuck or is unable to move from), for example based on feedback from aposition sensor of the first EGR valve. At 516, method 500 determines ifthe current position of the first EGR valve is greater than a threshold.As used herein, the current position of the first EGR valve beinggreater or less than the threshold may refer to the degree of opening ofthe first EGR valve being greater than or less than a threshold degreeof opening. In one example, the first EGR valve current position beinggreater than the threshold may include the current position of the firstEGR valve being open by 15% or more. As explained in more detail below,based on the current position of the first EGR valve, the position ofthe second EGR valve may be adjusted based on either an intake amount(e.g., EGR or oxygen amount in the intake) or based on the donormanifold pressure. While the differential control strategy of the secondEGR valve described below is described with respect to a singlethreshold (e.g., the current position of the first EGR valve beinggreater or less than a threshold open amount), in some examples twothresholds may be used to avoid jittering if the current position of thefirst EGR valve is moving around the threshold. For example, if thecurrent position of the first EGR valve is greater than a firstthreshold, a first degradation control scheme (described below withrespect to 518) is enacted, if the current position is less than asecond threshold, a second degradation control scheme is enacted(described below with respect to 520), and if the current position isbetween the first and second threshold, then the existing degradationcontrol scheme is continued.

Accordingly, if the current position is greater than the threshold,method 500 proceeds to 518 to adjust the position of the second EGRvalve based on the EGR or intake amount. When the current position ofthe first EGR valve is greater than the threshold, enough exhaust gas isable to travel from the donor exhaust manifold to the exhaust system sothat donor exhaust manifold over-pressure events will not occur, even atrelatively low EGR amounts (e.g., when the second EGR valve iscontrolled to a position having a relatively small degree of opening),and thus all EGR control may be provided by the second EGR valve.

If the current position of the first EGR valve is not greater than thethreshold, that is if the first EGR valve is stuck mostly closed (e.g.,closed by 85% or more), method 500 proceeds to 520 to adjust theposition of the second EGR valve based on donor exhaust manifoldpressure. For example, in response to degradation of the first EGRvalve, the control unit may obtain the output from the donor manifoldpressure sensor (e.g., sensor 196 of FIG. 1) and adjust the position ofthe second EGR valve based on the output such that the donor manifoldpressure does not exceed a threshold pressure, such as 7 bar. Further,in some embodiments, responsive to degradation of the first EGR valve,the position of the TBV may be adjusted based on the donor manifoldpressure at 522. In doing so, the donor manifold pressure may maintainedat an optimal pressure. Further still, adjusting the second EGR valvebased on donor manifold pressure may lead to lower intake oxygenconcentrations, due to the fact that the second EGR valve may be openedmore than would be indicated based on EGR control in order to lowerdonor manifold exhaust pressure, and hence more exhaust may be routed tothe intake than when the first EGR valve is functional. Accordingly, at524, the fuel amounts to the donor cylinders may be adjusted based onthe intake oxygen or fresh air fraction to maintain the intake oxygenfraction above a threshold. Method 500 then returns.

Thus, the method 500 described above may allow for continuing engineoperation even when EGR valve degradation is detected. For operating theengine in safe conditions, EGR manifold pressure may be controlled viaadjustment of the non-degraded EGR valve so that donor manifold pressuredoes not exceed an upper pressure limit, such as pressure in a range of6-8 Bar. The other limitation on the engine operation is the oxygenfraction in the intake manifold which affects combustion. An intakemanifold oxygen fraction below a lower limit, such as a limit in a rangeof 0.018-0.019 may lead to smoking and drop in engine power too as aresult, and thus the fueling to the donor cylinders may be controlledresponsive to degradation of the EGR valve(s). In contrast, as explainedabove with respect to FIG. 3, during non-degradation operating modeswhere no degradation of the EGR valves is detected, the first EGR valvemay be adjusted based on a target EGR amount or target intake amount,and not based on donor manifold pressure. Likewise, the second EGR valvemay be adjusted based on the position of the first EGR valve and/or thetarget EGR or intake amount, and not based on the donor manifoldpressure. Further, when the first EGR valve is degraded, once it isdetermined that the first EGR valve is stuck at less than a thresholdposition, the second EGR valve is adjusted based on the donor manifoldpressure, and this adjustment is independent of the first EGR valveposition.

Degradation of the first EGR valve (coupling the donor cylinders to theexhaust) may be detrimental if the first EGR valve degrades at anopening of <15% and further when engine load is high (e.g., notch N6 orhigher). At these conditions, the alternate control strategy asdescribed above will not only prevent engine shutdown due to excess EGRmanifold pressures but also try to achieve optimum performance bycontrolling intake manifold oxygen fraction with differential fueling.At lower load, even though the EGR manifold pressure limits may not beexceeded even when the first EGR valve is degraded, it might still bebeneficial to operate at higher second EGR valve openings and controlEGR with differential fueling, in order to reduce pumping losses.

FIG. 6A is an example control diagram 600 showing position control ofthe second EGR valve during execution of a portion of the method 500,for example. Specifically, control diagram 600 may be provide positioncontrol of the second EGR valve during a degradation operating modewhere the first EGR valve is degraded and is open by less than thethreshold amount (e.g., open by less than 15%) and/or engine load isabove a threshold.

As described above, a donor (EGR) manifold pressure reference value 602is obtained. In one example, the reference pressure may the pressurelimit of the donor manifold (e.g., 7 bar). The difference between thereference and the measured donor manifold pressure is determined at 604,and the difference is entered into a pressure control block 606. Thepressure control determines a position of the second EGR valve 608,according to a suitable mechanism. For example, the control law may be aPID or other suitable controller that uses the error along with suitablegain and other parameters to output the desired position of the secondEGR valve.

Additionally, an EGR or intake fraction reference is obtained at 612,for example from a map. The reference value is compared a respectivemeasured EGR or intake fraction amount and the difference (e.g., error)is input into an EGR control block 618 that determines differentialfueling 620 for the donor cylinders. The adjustment to the position ofthe second EGR valve and the differential fueling may affect one or moreparameters of the engine 610, such as the EGR flow, donor manifoldpressure, or intake fraction, which are measured and fed back to 604 and614 in order to determine the errors described above.

FIG. 6B is an example control diagram 650 showing position control ofthe second EGR valve during execution of a portion of the method 500,for example. Specifically, control diagram 650 may be provide positioncontrol of the second EGR valve during a degradation operating modewhere the first EGR valve is degraded and is open by more than thethreshold amount (e.g., open by more than 15%) and/or engine load isbelow a threshold.

A reference value 652 is obtained. The reference may be an EGR flowreference, intake oxygen, or fresh air fraction reference, and may bebased on engine load, engine speed, and/or other parameters. Thedifference between the reference and a respective measured parameter isdetermined at 654, and the difference is entered into a control lawblock 656. The control law determines a position of the second EGR valve658 based on the EGR flow or intake fraction error, according to asuitable mechanism. For example, the control law may be a PID or othersuitable controller that uses the error along with suitable gain andother parameters to output the desired position of the second EGR valve.The adjustment to the position of the second EGR valve may affect one ormore parameters of the engine 660, such as the EGR flow or intakefraction, which are measured and fed back to 654 in order to determinethe errors described above.

FIG. 7 is an example control diagram 700 showing position control of thefirst EGR valve during execution of a portion of the method 500, forexample. Specifically, control diagram 700 may be provide positioncontrol of the first EGR valve during a degradation operating mode wherethe second EGR valve is degraded.

A reference value 702 is obtained. The reference may be an EGR flowreference, intake oxygen, or fresh air fraction reference, and may bebased on engine load, engine speed, and/or other parameters. Thedifference between the reference and a respective measured parameter isdetermined at 704, and the difference is entered into a control lawblock 706. The control law determines a position of the first EGR valve708 based on the EGR flow or intake fraction error, according to asuitable mechanism. For example, the control law may be a PID or othersuitable controller that uses the error along with suitable gain andother parameters to output the desired position of the first EGR valve.Additionally, the control law block 706 may output a differentialfueling amount 712. The adjustment to the position of the first EGRvalve and the differential fueling may affect one or more parameters ofthe engine 710, such as the EGR flow or intake fraction, which aremeasured and fed back to 704 in order to determine the errors describedabove.

FIG. 8 is an example control diagram 800 showing fueling control duringexecution of a portion of the method 500, for example. Specifically,control diagram 800 may provide fueling control during a degradationoperating mode where both the first EGR valve and the second EGR valveare degraded.

A reference value 802 is obtained. The reference may be an EGR flowreference, intake oxygen, or fresh air fraction reference, and may bebased on engine load, engine speed, and/or other parameters. Thedifference between the reference and a respective measured parameter isdetermined at 804, and the difference is entered into a control lawblock 806. The control law determines a differential fueling to thedonor cylinders 808 based on the EGR flow or intake fraction error,according to a suitable mechanism. For example, the control law may be aPID or other suitable controller that uses the error along with suitablegain and other parameters to output the desired differential fueling.The adjustment to the fueling may affect one or more parameters of theengine 810, such as the EGR flow or intake fraction, which are measuredand fed back to 804 in order to determine the errors described above.

An embodiment relates to an engine system. The engine system includes anengine including a first subset of cylinders and a second subset ofcylinders, the first subset of cylinders coupled to a first exhaustmanifold and the second subset of cylinder coupled to a second exhaustmanifold. The engine system also includes an exhaust gas recirculation(EGR) system including a first EGR valve coupling the first exhaustmanifold to an exhaust system of the engine and a second EGR valvecoupling the first exhaust manifold to an intake system of the engine.The engine system further includes a control unit configured toselectively adjust a position of the first EGR valve based on a targetamount, and adjust a position of the second EGR valve based on thetarget amount and a position of the first EGR valve. Responsive to afirst degradation condition of the first EGR valve, the control unit isconfigured to adjust the position of the second EGR valve based on thetarget amount and based on a pressure of the first exhaust manifold,independent of the position of the first EGR valve, and responsive to asecond degradation condition of the first EGR valve, adjust the positionof the second EGR valve based on the target amount, independent of thepressure of the first exhaust manifold.

The first degradation condition of the first EGR valve may comprise thefirst EGR valve being stuck open by an amount less than a threshold, andthe second degradation condition of the first EGR valve may comprise thefirst EGR valve being stuck open by an amount more than the threshold.The target amount may include a target EGR amount. The control unit maybe further configured to, responsive to a degradation condition of thesecond EGR valve, adjust a position of the first EGR valve based on thetarget amount, and once the first EGR valve is fully open, adjust fuelinjection amounts to the first subset of cylinders relative to thesecond subset of cylinders. The control unit may be configured to,responsive to a degradation condition of both the first EGR valve andsecond EGR valve, adjust fuel injection amounts to the first subset ofcylinders relative to the second subset of cylinders based on a targetintake oxygen fraction.

An embodiment of a method for an engine system includes, during a firstcondition, adjusting a position of a first exhaust valve based on atarget amount, and adjusting a position of a second exhaust valve basedon a position of the first exhaust valve; and responsive to a secondcondition, adjusting the position of the second exhaust valve based onthe target amount and based on exhaust manifold pressure.

During the first condition, the position of the second exhaust valve maybe further adjusted based on the target amount, and the adjusting of theposition of the first exhaust valve and the adjusting of the position ofsecond exhaust valve during the first condition may be independent ofthe exhaust manifold pressure. The adjusting of the position of thesecond exhaust valve during the second condition may be independent of aposition of the first exhaust valve. The first condition may comprisesteady state engine operation with no degradation of the first EGR valveor second EGR valve, and the second condition may comprise an indicationof degradation of the first exhaust valve. In an embodiment, the secondcondition further comprises engine load above a threshold load. Themethod may further comprise, during the first condition, adjusting athird exhaust valve based on one or more turbocharger parameters, andresponsive to the second condition, adjusting the third exhaust valvebased on the target amount and based on the exhaust manifold pressure.The target amount may be a target exhaust gas recirculation amount, andthe method may further comprise, responsive to the second condition,maintaining a target intake oxygen amount by adjusting fueling to asubset of cylinders of an engine.

An embodiment of a system includes an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)system including a first EGR valve and a second EGR valve; and a controlunit configured to, responsive to degradation of one or more of thefirst EGR valve or second EGR valve, maintain exhaust manifold pressurebelow a threshold pressure while intake manifold oxygen concentration ismaintained above a threshold concentration by one or more of adjusting aposition of a non-degraded EGR valve or differentially fueling one ormore cylinders of an engine.

The control unit may be configured to, when neither the first EGR valvenor the second EGR valve is indicated as being degraded, adjust aposition of the first EGR valve based on a target EGR amount, and adjusta position of the second EGR valve based on the target EGR amount and aposition of the first EGR valve. The control unit may be configured to,when only the first EGR valve is indicated as being degraded, determinea current position of the first EGR valve; when the current position ofthe first EGR valve is open by less than a threshold amount, adjust aposition of the second EGR valve based on exhaust manifold pressure tomaintain exhaust manifold pressure below the threshold pressure andadjust fuel injection amounts to one or more cylinders of the enginebased on a target intake oxygen fraction to maintain intake manifoldoxygen concentration above the threshold concentration; and when thecurrent position of the first EGR valve is open by more than thethreshold amount, adjust the position of the second EGR valve based on atarget EGR amount to maintain intake manifold oxygen concentration abovethe threshold concentration.

The control unit may be configured to, when only the second EGR valve isindicated as being degraded, adjust a position of the first EGR valvebased on a target EGR amount, and once the first EGR valve is saturated,adjust fuel injection amounts to one or more cylinders of the enginebased on the target EGR amount to maintain intake manifold oxygenconcentration above the threshold concentration. The control unit may beconfigured to, when both the first EGR valve and second EGR valve areindicated as being degraded, adjust fuel injection amounts to one ormore cylinders of the engine based on a target intake oxygen fraction tomaintain intake manifold oxygen concentration above the thresholdconcentration. The system may further comprise a turbocharger coupled tothe engine, flow through a turbine of the turbocharger controlled by aturbine bypass valve, and the control unit may be configured to adjust aposition of the turbine bypass valve responsive to degradation of one ormore of the first EGR valve or second EGR valve. The engine may includea first subset of cylinders and a second subset of cylinders, the firstEGR valve may couple the first subset of cylinders to an exhaust systemof the engine, the second EGR valve may couple the first subset ofcylinders to an intake system of the engine, and the exhaust manifoldpressure may be an exhaust manifold pressure of an exhaust manifoldcoupled to the first subset of cylinders, and differentially fueling oneor more cylinders of the engine may comprise differentially fueling thefirst subset of cylinders relative to the second subset of cylinders.The second subset of cylinders may be coupled to a second exhaustmanifold configured to supply exhaust gas only to the exhaust system,and the first subset of cylinders and second subset of cylinders may beconfigured to receive a mixture of intake air and exhaust gas via theintake system. The control unit may be further configured to fire eachof the first subset of cylinders and second subset of cylindersaccording to an engine firing order, where the engine firing orderincludes firing at least one cylinder of the second subset of cylindersbetween every cylinder firing of the first subset of cylinders perengine cycle.

As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceededwith the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding pluralof said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated.Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present invention arenot intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additionalembodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unlessexplicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments “comprising,”“including,” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having aparticular property may include additional such elements not having thatproperty. The terms “including” and “in which” are used as theplain-language equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and“wherein.” Moreover, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. areused merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numericalrequirements or a particular positional order on their objects.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable a person of ordinary skillin the relevant art to practice the invention, including making andusing any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods.The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and mayinclude other examples that occur to those of ordinary skill in the art.Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims ifthey have structural elements that do not differ from the literallanguage of the claims, or if they include equivalent structuralelements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages ofthe claims.

1.-5. (canceled)
 6. A method for an engine system, comprising: during afirst condition, adjusting a position of a first exhaust valve based ona target amount, and adjusting a position of a second exhaust valvebased on a position of the first exhaust valve; and responsive to asecond condition, adjusting the position of the second exhaust valvebased on the target amount and based on exhaust manifold pressure. 7.The method of claim 6, wherein during the first condition, the positionof the second exhaust valve is further adjusted based on the targetamount, and wherein the adjusting of the position of the first exhaustvalve and the adjusting of the position of second exhaust valve duringthe first condition are independent of the exhaust manifold pressure. 8.The method of claim 6, wherein the adjusting of the position of thesecond exhaust valve during the second condition is independent of aposition of the first exhaust valve.
 9. The method of claim 6, whereinthe first condition comprises steady state engine operation, and whereinthe second condition comprises an indication of degradation of the firstexhaust valve.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second conditionfurther comprises engine load above a threshold load.
 11. The method ofclaim 6, further comprising, during the first condition, adjusting athird exhaust valve based on one or more turbocharger parameters, andresponsive to the second condition, adjusting the third exhaust valvebased on the target amount and based on the exhaust manifold pressure.12. The method of claim 6, wherein the target amount is a target exhaustgas recirculation amount, and further comprising, responsive to thesecond condition, maintaining a target intake oxygen amount by adjustingfueling to a subset of cylinders of an engine. 13.-20. (canceled)
 21. Anengine system, comprising: a first exhaust valve; a second exhaustvalve; and a control unit configured to: during a first condition,adjust a position of the first exhaust valve based on a target amountand adjust a position of the second exhaust valve based on the positionof the first exhaust valve; and during a second condition, adjust theposition of the second exhaust valve based on the target amount andbased on exhaust manifold pressure.
 22. The system of claim 21, whereinduring the first condition, the control unit is further configured toadjust the position of the second exhaust valve based on the targetamount, and wherein the adjusting of the position of the first exhaustvalve and the adjusting of the position of second exhaust valve duringthe first condition are independent of the exhaust manifold pressure.23. The system of claim 21, wherein the adjusting of the position of thesecond exhaust valve during the second condition is independent of aposition of the first exhaust valve.
 24. The system of claim 21, whereinthe first condition comprises steady state engine operation, and whereinthe second condition comprises an indication of degradation of the firstexhaust valve.
 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the second conditionfurther comprises engine load above a threshold load.
 26. The system ofclaim 6, further comprising a third exhaust valve, and wherein thecontrol unit is further configured to, during the first condition,adjust the third exhaust valve based on one or more turbochargerparameters, and responsive to the second condition, adjust the thirdexhaust valve based on the target amount and based on the exhaustmanifold pressure.
 27. The system of claim 21, wherein the target amountis a target exhaust gas recirculation amount, and wherein the controlunit is further configured to, responsive to the second condition,maintain a target intake oxygen amount by adjusting fueling to a subsetof cylinders of an engine.